...some of the best of times, to be sure.
One lesson learned from the Paonia gathering was it only happens with a lot of preparation. Our house was a meeting place for the scouts (hi, Badger!) who combed the state in May checking locations. Once it was picked, some very impressive PR and lawyer types rolled in and talked to the local city, county, state, and Forest Service officials.
Once the word got out the local media had a wave of hateful and alarmist speculation, and things looked grim; but businessmen and officials from past locations gave reassurances that calmed things a bit.
Meanwhile, preparations involved testing the springs, streams , and small lakes (which were heavily impacted from cattle grazing) and running a mile and a half of PVC piping to make clean water widely available.(at the Minnesota gathering, water had to be trucked in!) Trails were laid out to avoid boggy areas, and a few places were built-up with branches, pine needles and dirt. Latrines - laid out and dug, signs put up at the bad springs.
(I've seen signs pointing out poison ivy on the early main trail)
A big central map and bulletin board fills up as the various groups "come home", eventually it's like a United Nations, with camps from various regions and persuasions; and the bulletin board gets huge with travelers reconnecting, and the events and resources section lists talks, performances, teaching events, games, outings, and where to find a medic or a swimming hole (often hot springs!)
No alcohol in the gathering proper, so "A" Camp grows out by the parking area. Many an alcoholic has cleaned up their act to become part of the gathering.
After a few days the buzz of the commercial world fades away, and the 4th is the big unanimous event.
The clean-up is diligent, they even pulled a horse drawn rolling harrow over the compacted areas, and reseeded.
Very gratifying was the aftermath, when many of the nay-sayers were mollified, even a few won over; and
both short and long term water tests showed improvement rather than degradation.
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